Discussion on the Importance of Fa Study

(Clearwisdom.net) My several years of cultivation have allowed me to understand deeply the importance of Fa study. Without the Fa's guidance, one cannot cultivate to higher levels. Without judging everything from the Fa's perspective, one will lose direction and be influenced by the human side. Without assimilating to the Fa, one cannot go back to the world that has been renewed and purified. One will not be able to get rid of the evil's control and step out of the human side if one is not based on the Fa's standpoint. Because one's cultivated side has been separated from the rest, any thoughts and notions left may come from the arrangements of the old forces. Without the firm belief in the Fa, it's impossible to keep on the right path; the right path is not only the road toward Consummation but also references for the future people. Without the Fa, we truly couldn't have gone through from 7.20 [on July 20, 1999, Jiang's regime started the persecution] to the present.

Because the Fa was rooted in my mind, when the evil forces started the persecution of Dafa as if eclipsing the sky and covering the earth, I realized that the test of how to "Regard the Fa as Master" had begun. Master said, "It's time for them to become clearheaded so that their environment can turn into one for true cultivation practice, and thus they will be able to become real gods" ("A Dialogue with Time"). I studied the Fa more diligently to strengthen my righteous faith. The Fa not only helped me to break through the Chinese media's slanders and lies about Dafa and Master, but it also helped me to realize that our own loopholes in cultivation had been exploited by the evils to do so. I understood further the inner meaning of "External factors can only affect a few individuals and are unable to alter the Fa. Whether it be at present or in the future, those who can undermine our Fa are none other than our own disciples" ("Immutable"). Therefore I always reminded myself of how important it is to do everything from the Fa's standpoint. Everyday people don't consider our words and actions as our own personal behaviors but associate them with Dafa. Thus doing things well or badly has the direct effect of safeguarding or damaging Dafa.

Since the Fa was rooted in my mind, I didn't feel lost when all the assistance sites in China were sabotaged and lost touch with each other. I realized from the Fa that the evil's sabotage was due to our human notions regarding those persons in charge of the assistance sites. We didn't realize that Dafa doesn't have any people in charge and Dafa takes the path of "the great way without form." If a person working for Dafa cannot cultivate himself, it is an ordinary person doing Dafa work.

Cultivation is a serious issue. "Regarding the Fa as Master" is very important to improve oneself and to be responsible to oneself. When the office of the local residential district held the first brainwashing class, some practitioners sternly refused to go and some unwilling attended. From my personal understanding of the Fa, I told myself not to miss any opportunity to clarify the truth and validate Dafa. Why should I acknowledge what everyday people want to do? Why not use the opportunity to clarify the truth to the everyday people who had been fooled by the media? Maybe there were some people there who had predestined relationship with me and needed to be saved. Maybe there was something there to help me to cultivate. So I went there and, just as I expected, I faced different people everyday. After telling them our true stories and advising them to do good deeds, many of them changed their original thoughts in varying degrees. While clarifying the truth and validating the Fa, I deeply realized that always looking inward when encountering problems is the key to improving xinxing (heart and mind nature, moral character).

Close to the end of the brainwashing class, the local office was informed that someone in charge of the district would come to visit every class and have a discussion with the class. I sternly refused to attend such a discussion, which aroused panic among the staff. They took turns to watch me in case I ran away. I immediately pointed out that they had violated my human rights. However, as a practitioner, one should always look inside when encountering any problem. When I inspected myself about what I could have done improperly, I knew I didn't do anything wrong. My refusal to cooperate with them was for their sake, i.e., not to give them an opportunity to damage Dafa and to slander Master, therefore preventing them from bringing karma to themselves. Why did I have trouble for it? Was it demonic interference? When I dug deeply into myself, I found a mentality of fear hidden behind the high sounding excuse. Because the practitioners with me were not good at talking, I was afraid to face so many people in the discussion meeting. If I couldn't do well, it might bring damage to the Fa, and I would also lose face. The mentality of being afraid of getting hurt was exposed. Although realizing it, it was still difficult to get rid of it. This mentality has been deeply hidden, all the way from the surface level to the deep microscopic levels inside me. I have been tested on it from the beginning of my cultivation to the present time. I kept saying to myself, "Are you still a practitioner? Cultivation of mind is always hard; I shouldn't miss any opportunity to let go of attachments and to clarify the truth. There's nothing to be afraid of while Master and the Fa are with me." So I resolutely decided to handle it. The planned visit at 3 p.m. was postponed to 5 p.m., and then postponed again to 7 p.m. because someone from the city government was going to come to the district for inspection. Then a call came at 7 p.m. to cancel the visit. While waiting from 3 to 7 p.m., we got the opportunity to clarify the truth with the people waiting there. Through this event, I realize that if putting down any thoughts, any thing that is not supposed to happen will not happen because we are with Master. Any conflicts can be used to improve xinxing and any opportunities can be used to clarify the truth. Master will use any form to help us get rid of any deeply hidden mentalities because our improvement is the most important. As long as we are responsible to ourselves, there is no test that cannot be passed.

If there were no Dafa in my mind and no firm belief in Dafa, it would have been really hard for me to come through in the detention center. I was very calm while facing situations such as being arrested by the policemen in Tiananmen Square, being detained and interrogated at an unknown place, and being sent back and detained at a local police station. Although mentally prepared, when I was put into the detention center and started the first day there, the unbearable words and behaviors among the prisoners and the inhumane environment made me feel suffocated and almost drove me to break down. I almost forgot I was a practitioner. On the early morning of the third day, however, a melodious song rose up from dim moonlight and from far away, "To the mountain with an intersection, the path is difficult to take." My mind suddenly became clear. At the same time I seemed to hear Master's words, "When it is difficult to endure it, you can endure it. When it is impossible to do, you can do it." I began to encourage myself and told myself that the harsh environment could refine and strengthen one's will and the hardship would remove karma. I also told myself to do well in any environment and to rectify people's minds as well as the environment. I remembered Master's words, "Getting arrested is not the purpose. Validating Dafa is truly glorious- it is to validate Dafa that you step forward. Since you step forward, you should try to succeed in validating the Fa - this is the real purpose of stepping forward"("Rationality"). I realized from the Fa that everyone in the world is worthwhile to clarify the truth to. Even the demons that came to damage the Fa are given multiple chances under Master's mighty compassion; only those who were incorrigible would be eliminated. How much had Master suffered for us? I felt ashamed. After awakening with a brand new, pure energy field, I started to clarify the truth, spread the Fa and advocate kindness to the people around me. Within about ten days, the environment totally changed. The filthy words were almost gone. Whoever occasionally came out with vulgar words would glance at me and hope I didn't hear it. Some started to help each other. Many of them learned to recite Master's article "LUNYU" (the forewords in Zhuan Falun) and poems from Hongyin. When it was my turn on duty at night, they practiced the exercises with me. Some quietly took with them "LUNYU" that I wrote down from memory when they were transferred to other places. Some wrote to me after they came out of the detention center saying that they would remember what I said and try to be a good person. One of them was a company executive in a corporation and had been entrapped into jail. She couldn't overcome it and always wanted to commit suicide. After I told her the principles from the Fa about the relationship of cause and effect and that suicide brings karma, she gradually calmed down and eventually came out of the despair. She later wrote to me from her heart, saying that this world could have no need for people like her but would definitely need people like us (Falun Gong practitioners), because only we can bring the world brightness and hope.

When I heard the news that someone was "transformed,"[after being forcefully brainwashed] my heart was not moved by it. I realized from the Fa that everything was not accidental. If it were not the case that the evil took the advantage of the loophole that a practitioner had attachments or was moved by the human side, there would be some other arrangement by the old forces. It might be that we have human minds and human mentalities when we participate in activities to save people, without realizing that all Dafa activities are intended to arouse people's conscience, kindness and righteous thoughts so as to save them. We should combine our personal cultivation with those activities and keep rectifying ourselves. My personal understanding is that any Dafa activity is for the salvation of the people and for our improvement; otherwise it would be meaningless.

Looking back at my path, every step I passed through was due to the guidance of the Fa, although for me there is still quite a distance from the Fa requirements at different levels. I will be more responsible to myself and to the Fa. To save more people, I will keep rectifying myself while clarifying the truth in depth, and do well with the rest of my journey of return.
Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.cc/mh/articles/2002/3/1/25750.html

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